Tiny Exo-planet & Medical Glue | SciByte 83

chris

9 years ago

We take a look at a tiny exoplanet, new medical glue, dogs, private Mars mission, updates on bionic eyes and the Russian meteorite, Curiosity news, and as always take a peek back into history and up in the sky this week.

Show Notes:

Tiny Exo-planet

Scientists have discovered a new planet orbiting a Sun-like star, and the exoplanet is the smallest yet found in data from the Kepler mission
This discovery came from a collaboration between Kepler scientists and a consortium of international researchers who employ asteroseismology
Asteroseismology\”
Sound waves travel into the star and bring information back up to the surface, these waves cause oscillations that Kepler observes as a rapid flickering of the star’s brightness
Asteroseismology is when scientists measure those oscillations in the star’s brightness caused by continuous star-quakes, and turn those tiny variations in the star’s light into sounds
It is similar to how geologists use seismic waves generated by earthquakes to probe the interior structure of Earth
Barely discernible, high-frequency oscillations in the brightness of small stars are the most difficult to measure, the bigger the star, the lower the frequency, or ‘pitch’ of its song
Kepler-37b
The measurements made by the astroseismologists allowed the Kepler research team to more accurately measure the tiny Kepler-37b
Kepler-37b, is smaller than Mercury, but slightly larger than Earth’s Moon
Orbits every 13 days at less than one-third Mercury’s distance from the Sun
Very likely a rocky planet with no atmosphere or water, similar to Mercury
Estimated surface temperature of this smoldering planet, at more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit (700 degrees Kelvin, hot enough to melt the zinc in a penny
The rest of the Kepler-37 system
Kepler-37 has a radius just three-quarters of the Sun, and is about 210 light-years from Earth.
The size is known to 3 percent accuracy, which translates to exceptional accuracy in the planet’s size.
Measurements also revealed two other planets in the same planetary system: one slightly smaller than Earth and one twice as large
All three planets orbit the star at less than the distance Mercury is to the Sun Kepler-37c and Kepler-37d, orbit every 21 days and 40 days, respectively
What this means
This discovery took a long time to verify, as the signature of this very small exoplanet was hard to confirm
Uncovering a planet smaller than any in our solar system orbiting one of the few stars that is both bright and quiet, where signal detection was possible
“The detection of such a small planet shows for the first time that stellar systems host planets much smaller as well as much larger than anything we see in our own Solar System.” [Published paper in Nature]
Multimedia
Image | NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered a new planetary system that is home to the smallest planet yet found | Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech
Image | Where in the sky Kepler is looking | Credit: Carter Roberts / Eastbay Astronomical Society
Further Reading / In the News
Tiny exoplanet smaller than Mercury: Smallest planet yet found outside solar system (Update) | phys.org
Smallest Exoplanet Yet Discovered by \’Listening\’ to a Sun-like Star
Moon-Size Alien Planet Is the Smallest Exoplanet | Space.com
How Does Tiny Kepler-37b Measure Up? | news.discovery.com

— NEWS BYTE —

Medical \”Super Glue\” for Wet Surfaces

The Problem\”
Not even Super Glue will stick in a wet environment because a layer of water forms that keeps the two surfaces from bonding
Mussels somehow elbow the water aside and bind themselves to rocks anyway by secreting liquid proteins that harden into a solid, water-resistant glue
A Possible New Solution
One researcher now says he has used the mollusk’s tricks to develop medical applications
This biocompatible glue that could one day seal fetal membranes, allowing prenatal surgeons to repair birth defects without triggering dangerous premature labor
The research team has now created a synthetic, thread-like polymer called polyethylene glycol that mimics the mussel protein
Basis of a Mussels Sticking Ability
Parts of the proteins that face out toward the hard surface
This enables liquid holdfast proteins to solidify rapidly and stick flawlessly to wet and salty surfaces
Initial Testing
To see if the compound worked in live animals, a veterinary surgeon made a 2.5-centimeter incision in the carotid artery of a dog and placed four stitches along the length of that incision to hold it in place
With stitches alone were used, the incision bled when the surgeon pressed it.
After just 20 seconds after the mussel-based glue was applied, the artery was sealed and didn’t bleed.
Recently the team began testing its glue on fetal membranes
Possible Prenatal Use
For the past few decades, surgeons have begun surgically repairing birth defects like spina bifida while a fetus is still in utero
The process is risky because the surgery risks rupturing the fetal membrane prematurely, sending the mother into premature labor.
There are no good adhesives on the market for surgeons to repair such fetal-membrane tears
In recent, unpublished experiments in rabbits, the team has found that after a veterinary surgeon poked a 3.5-mm hole in the animal’s fetal membrane, the new, mussel-inspired glue readily sealed up the puncture
Without the glue, only 40% of the fetal rabbits survived the surgery, but with the glue, 60% did.
Fetal surgeons are now working with the research team to test whether the glue can help reseal the tissue surrounding the spinal cord to repair a serious birth defect known spina bifida in rabbits
Recent Alterations
In another recent result researchers chemically altered the polyethylene glycol polymer so that the glue would shrink when it hardened
This could counter tissue swelling during surgery
Multimedia
Mytilus mussel withb yssus showing, on a rock atOcean Beach, San Francisco,California,USA | Brocken Inaglory
Adding a glue modeled on the biochemistry of mussel attachment quickly sealed a punctured fetal membrane in rabbits, protecting the fetal bunnies inside | news.ScienceMag.org | Credit: Martin Ehrbar from University Hospital Zurich
Further Reading / In the News
Mussel Glue Could Help Repair Birth Defects – ScienceNOW | News.ScienceMag.org
Translation of Mussel Adhesion to Beneficial New Concepts and Materials | AAAS.Confex.com

Food Ninja Dogs

A new study suggests dogs might understand people even better than we thought
The research shows that domestic dogs, when told not to snatch a piece of food, are more likely to disobey the command in a dark room than in a lit room
Dogs have specialized skills in reading human communication, specific in dogs
The Test
A research team recruited 84 dogs, all of which were more than a year old, motivated by food, and comfortable with both strangers and dark rooms
The team then set up experiments in which a person commanded a dog not to take a piece of food on the floor
They then repeated the commands in a room with different lighting scenarios ranging from fully lit to fully dark
What the team found was that the dogs were four times as likely to steal the food-and steal it more quickly—when the room was dark
It was thought that whether the dogs saw the human would would affect the results, but weather the dogs saw the human or not didn\’t affect the behavior
The dog\’s behavior depended on whether the food was in the light or not, suggesting that the dog made its decision based on whether the human could see them approaching the food
Results and Future
The study of dog cognition suddenly began about 15 years ago
Many of the new dog studies are variations on research done with chimpanzees, bonobos, and even young children
Dogs are better at reading human cues than even our closest mammalian relatives
Researchers are now interested in whether the dog has a theory of mind, \”an understanding that others have different perspective, knowledge, feelings than we do\”
While research reveals more and more insight into the minds we still don\’t know just how smart they are
Multimedia
YouTube | Siberian Husky – Kiba The Pizza Thief | SeberHusky
Further Reading / In the News
Confirmed: Dogs Sneak Food When People Aren\’t Looking | news.NationalGeographic.com

— TWO-BYTE NEWS —

Dennis Tito, Space Tourist, Now Mars Mission Planner

”The Plan\”
Dennis Tito, the first-ever space tourist, is planning send a human mission to Mars in January 2018 on a round-trip journey lasting 501 days
Reportedly, Tito has created a new nonprofit company called the Inspiration Mars Foundation to facilitate the mission
Presentation
Tito, along with several other notable people from the space community will provide more information in a press conference set for Wednesday, February 27th
The paper Tito plans to present at the IEEE Aerospace Conference in March, will discuss a crewed free-return Mars mission that would fly by Mars, not going into orbit or landing
Initial Mission Breakdown
The 501-day mission would launch in January 2018, “using a modified SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket,”
Existing environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) technologies would allow such a spacecraft to support two people for the mission,
The paper outlines how NASA would also have a role in this mission in terms of supporting key life support and thermal protection systems, even though this is a private-sector effort
Crew comfort would be limited to survival needs only, sponge baths are acceptable, with no need for showers
Of Note
No estimates of what such a mission would cost are included in the paper, but it does say it would be financed privately
The paper adds that if they miss this favorable 2018 opportunity, the next chance to take advantage of this lower energy trajectory would be in 2031.
Multimedia
Image Dennis Tito, the first private citizen to visit the International Space Station | NASA via Wikipedia
Further Reading / In the News
Dennis Tito Wants to Send Human Mission to Mars in 2018 | UniverseToday.com

— Updates —

Another Step for Bionic Eyes

Clinical Trials
As part of the first module of second human clinical trials in Germany research found that, during the course of a three to nine month observation period, functional vision was restored in the majority of nine patients implanted with a subretinal microchip
Patients were implanted with Retina Implant AG\’s subretinal wireless 3×3 mm2, 1500 pixel Alpha IMS microchip and are able to adjust the level of stimulation received to view objects at varied distances
Test Data
Visual acuity for two of the nine patients surpassed the visual resolution of patients from the Company\’s first human clinical trial
Of the nine patients observed in the study, three patients were able to read letters spontaneously during observation in and outside the laboratory patients
They also reported the ability to recognize faces, distinguish objects such as telephones and read signs on doors
Results
Results from the first trial concluded that the implantation of Retina Implant\’s microchip was successful in restoring useful vision in patients previously blind due to retinitis pigmentosa
second clinical trial with a wireless device that allows patients to use the implant outdoors and at home and has since expanded into the multicentre phase
Multimedia
YouTube | Scientists help blind man see again | Channel4News
YouTube | Blind man given bionic eye describes seeing again | Frank Swain
YouTube | Animation of Retina Implant | jonmillsswns
Further Reading / In the News
Retina Implant AG
Retinal implants with wireless microchip restore functional vision in retinitis pigmentosa patients, research finds | MedicalXpress.com

Russian Meteorite Orbital Calculations

Initial Calculations
Just a week after a huge fireball streaked across the skies of the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, astronomers published a paper that reconstructs the orbit and determines the origins of the space rock
Scientists at the University of Antioquia in Colombia used a resource not always available in meteorite falls: the numerous dashboard and security cameras that captured the huge fireball
Using the trajectories shown in videos posted on YouTube, the researchers were able to calculate the trajectory of the meteorite as it fell to Earth and use it to reconstruct the orbit in space of the meteoroid before its violent encounter with our planet.
Although the results are preliminary and they are already working on getting more precise results, through their calculations, the team determined the rock originated from the Apollo class of asteroids
In addition to the video data they Google Earth to reconstruct the path of the rock as it entered the atmosphere and showed that it matched an image of the trajectory taken by the geostationary Meteosat-9 weather satellite.
Even with the plethora of video\’s due to variations in time and date stamps on several of the videos, some which differed by several minutes, they decided to choose two videos from different locations that seemed to be the most reliable
From triangulation, they were able to determine height, speed and position of the meteorite as it fell to Earth
Multimedia
YouTube | Preliminary Orbit of the Chelyabinsk Meteoroid.mp4 | Jorge Zuluaga
YouTube | The video from Revolutionary Square in Chelyabinsk
YouTube | Video recorded in Korkino
YouTube Meteor Over Russia seen by Meteosat-9 [HD] | TheMarsUnderground
Further Reading / In the News
Astronomers Calculate Orbit and Origins of Russian Fireball | universetoday.com

— SPACECRAFT UPDATE / VIEWER FEEDBACK —

Dragon resupply

On March 1 at 10:10 AM EST, the Dragon CRS-2 is slated to blast off on a Dragon cargo vehicle on what will be only the 2nd commercial resupply mission ever to the ISS
The mission will carrying about 1,200 pounds of vital supplies and science experiments for the six man international crew living aboard the million pound orbiting outpost
The Dragon will remain docked to the ISS for about three weeks while the crew unloads all manner of supplies including food, water, clothing, spare parts and gear and new science experiments
The astronauts will replace all that cargo load with numerous critical experiment samples they have stored during ongoing research activities, as well as no longer needed equipment and trash totaling about 2300 pounds, for the return trip to Earth and a Pacific Ocean splashdown set for March 25
‏@Tubsta pointed this story out on Twitter as well
Further Reading / In the News
Commercial Resupply Launch | NASA.gov

— CURIOSITY UPDATE —

Rock Interior
The first thing you notice about the material from inside the rock is that it\’s a different color, not the the reddish orange color on the surface but grey
That reddish orange color is a sign of an iron oxidation. A kind of rusting process that\’s occurred all around on Mars
Multimedia
YouTube Curiosity Rover Report JPLnews
Image : First Curiosity Drilling Sample in the Scoop (Raw-colored) | mars.jpl.nasa.gov
Image : First Curiosity Drilling Sample in the Scoop | mars.jpl.nasa.gov
Image : Curiosity\’s Traverse Map Through Sol 166 | mars.jpl.nasa.gov
Image Galleries at JPL and Curiosity Mulimedia
Social Media
Curiosity Rover @MarsCuriosity
Further Reading / In the News
Preparing Samples on Mars | nasa.jpl.nasa.gov

SCIENCE CALENDAR

Remembering David McKay [September 25, 1936 – February 20, 2013]

As a graduate student, McKay was in the audience when President John F. Kennedy gave his legendary \”We choose to go to the moon\” speech
McKay joined NASA in June of 1965 and participated extensively in astronaut training leading up to 1969\’s historic Apollo 11 mission
He also served as chief scientist for astrobiology at NASA\’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
McKay was lead author of a 1996 paper in the journal Science that suggested ALH84001 may contain evidence of past life on Mars.
While the claim still spurs controversy, it also sparked a shift in perspectives that is alive and well within NASA today and prompted the establishment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute
McKay developed innovative new technology for both life detection and the use of lunar regolith as feedstock, radiation protection, fuel, nutrient source for microbial bioreactors and long-term lunar habitation.
Publications
David published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers on lunar samples, space resource utilization, cosmic dust, meteorites, astrobiology and Mars topics, as well as about twice that many published abstracts, and this body of work includes many contributions to our understanding of the development and evolution of the lunar regolith and space weathering processes
Professional Positions
Chief Scientist for Astrobiology and Planetary Science and Exploration, 1996 – 2013
Assistant for Exploration and Technology – NASA Johnson Space Center, 1994 – 96
Chief, Planetary Programs Office – NASA Johnson Space Center, 1991 – 94
Chief, Mission Science and Technology Office – NASA Johnson Space Center, 1990 – 91
Chief, Space Resources Utilization Office – NASA Johnson Space Center, 1987 – 90
Staff Scientist – NASA Johnson Space Center, 1965 – 87
Exploration Geophysicist, Exxon and Marine Geophysical, 1960 – 61
Further Reading / In the News
David S. McKay, Chief Scientist for Astrobiology | ares.jsc.nasa.gov
Pioneering Moon, Mars Scientist David McKay Dies at 76 | Space.com

Looking back

March 05, 1223 BC : 3236 years ago : Oldest Eclipse Record : The oldest recorded eclipse occurred, according to one plausible interpretation of a date inscribed on a clay tablet retrieved from the ancient city of Ugarit, Syria (as it is now). This date is favoured by recent authors on the subject, although alternatively 3 May 1375 BC has also been proposed as plausible. Certainly by the 8th century BC, the Babylonians were keeping a systematic record of solar eclipses, and possibly by this time they may have been able to apply numerological rules to make fairly accurate predictions of the occurrence of solar eclipses. The first total solar eclipse reliably recorded by the Chinese occurred on 4 Jun 180 BC.

Looking up this week

Keep an eye out for …
Thursday, February 28 | ~11pm local | Spica will be very close to the Moon, in fact for people from SE Mexico through central S America the Moon will actually occults (pass in front of) Spica
Friday, March 1 | ~11pm local | The moon rises in the E-SE with Saturn
Jupiter | After sunset it appears high in the S moving to the SW later in the evening
Further Reading and Resources
Sky&Telescope
SpaceWeather.com
StarDate.org
For the Southern hemisphere: SpaceInfo.com.au
Constellations of the Southern Hemisphere : astronomyonline.org
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand : rasnz.org.nz
AstronomyNow
HeavensAbove

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